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Pavel Durovthe Russian founder of the Telegram messaging app, He was arrested in France French prosecutors said on Monday that it was investigating child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on its platform as part of an investigation.
French President Emmanuel Macron It was the first official confirmation of Durov’s arrest since he was detained at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening, and he said the arrest had no political motives despite numerous false comments online.
He added that France remained firmly committed to the rule of law. freedom of speech.
“Telegram directors arrested in France as part of court proceedings investigation It is in progress. It is in no way a political decision. It is for the judges to judge,” Macron wrote in response to Xu’s comments.
Durov was arrested on July 8 during an investigation into an unnamed person. CybercrimeParis prosecutor Raul Becourt said in a statement.
The investigation involves suspected involvement in various Criminal behaviorThese include operating an online platform that enabled illegal transactions, child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as refusing to provide information to authorities, money laundering and providing encryption services to criminals, the statement said.
It added that Durov could be detained until Wednesday. Reuters was unable to reach a lawyer representing Durov.
Durov holds dual French and UAE citizenship and was born in Russiaand founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte platform (and sell it).
Telegram is an encrypted app with nearly 1 billion users that is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and its former republics. Soviet.
It is ranked as one of the main social networks after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat. Forbes estimates Durov’s wealth at $15.5 billion.
Durov said in April that some governments were trying to put pressure on him, but he believed the application should remain. Neutral Platformrather than a “geopolitical player”.
Telegram CEO arrested, prompting Moscow to warn Paris to recognize his rights and criticize X’s owner Elon Musk Who says free speech is under attack in Europe.
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